Everyone is familiar with mushrooms as a food group; they are versatile in cooking and are a great way to replace meat in a vegan diet. However, mushrooms aren’t just food; they can also be used as supplements to promote better bodily health.
The use of mushrooms in medicine and promoting general wellness has been used worldwide for centuries. However, it is only recently that mushroom supplements have been shooting up everywhere, and there are now more places online than ever before offering things like mushroom capsules for surprisingly low prices.
However, with any product that suddenly seems massively popular, it is worth being a little skeptical.
What exactly are the benefits of mushroom supplements, and is there any truth to all of the miraculous claims out there?
What Are Mushroom Supplements?
While most people are undoubtedly aware of mushrooms as a food, not a lot of people even know what mushroom supplements actually are.
Mushroom supplements are basically a way to get the benefits of medicinal mushrooms without having to go through the hassle of preparing them for consumption.
Unlike regular mushrooms designed for eating, many medicinal mushrooms are not particularly tasty, nor are they easy to prepare.
Mushroom supplements make this a lot easier because they come as a powder, capsule, or even as a gummy.
Most mushroom supplements come in the form of a capsule, allowing them to be swallowed just like any other kind of pill. This is partly the reason why mushroom supplements have recently become so popular; they are incredibly convenient and easy to take.
The primary reason for their massive popularity, though, is their potential health benefits.
Mushrooms are not just nutrient-dense but contain a myriad of different compounds and severe health benefits that could help promote all sorts of things. From a better immune system and memory to more substantial cognitive function and energy levels.
But is all of this really true? Is there any objective, actual evidence behind mushroom supplements?
The Science Behind Mushroom Supplements
It is difficult to imagine that mushroom supplements could genuinely offer health benefits. While we all accept that mushrooms are generally healthy and contain vital nutrients and proteins, the idea of them being a mystical, magical cure-all for health conditions seems ludicrous.
However, over the last several years, many studies have been attempting to demonstrate that mushroom supplements could be just that.
For example, an early study in 2009 found that when individuals were given the mushroom Yamabushitake over a long period of time, their cognitive function improved.
Another study in 2019 found that specific mushrooms have the capacity to help improve a person’s short-term memory.
Even some fungi can help aid the digestive system, something that could be of considerable use for those who suffer from stomach ailments.
Unfortunately, however, there just aren’t enough concrete studies that have been published as of yet to determine the complete scientific truth behind many mushroom supplement claims.
This isn’t to say that all of the claims are outright lies, though; it’s just that the studies aren’t done yet. The scientific community has found some real evidence to point towards mushroom supplements not only being potentially beneficial but actually that they might be able to do some real good and help people’s bodily health.
The fact of the matter is that it takes a lot of time for studies to be completed regarding new and exciting health supplements. It isn’t so much that no one believes in them, but that the due diligence just hasn’t been completed yet, and that time will tell.
Final Thoughts on the Truth About the Benefits of Mushroom Supplements
The thing to remember about mushroom supplements is that just because they are only recently becoming a health trend doesn’t mean that they are a new product.
People have been using mushroom supplements for countless generations in East Asia and have never needed to know the scientific community’s opinion.
It is only now, with the world being more interconnected than ever, that we are collectively much more interested in finding concrete proof to back up the claims of supposed medicinal supplements.
Don’t take the comparative lack of concrete studies about mushroom supplements as a bad thing. As time goes on, more and more studies will be published, providing ever-growing proof about how much we can all collectively trust medicinal supplements.
In the meantime, many people are finding genuine benefits from taking them, so they might be worth a try regardless, even if it is just to see what all the fuss is about.
